- Date
- July 18, 2022, 16:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Escalante, UT
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N342WFAerospatiale SA342J
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20220718012459A
- Case key
- 105532
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to control the helicopter’s descent rate during landing, which resulted in collision with terrain.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that, he was transporting supplies to a remote landing site and had made multiple approaches and landings. He stated that on the final approach, cloud cover had cleared and the helicopter “felt heavy.” About 25-30 ft above the ground the helicopter began to sink and he could not recover. The helicopter hit hard and tipped forward onto its nose during landing, substantially damaging the airframe and main rotors. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N342WF
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale SA342J
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1470
- Built
- 1976
- Airframe hours
- 3,551
- Engine
- Turbomeca Astazouxivh, 850 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Extreme Dynamic Corp
- Registered owner
- James Harkey
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 2, 2022 · 97 hours before
- Departed
- KCDC · Cedar City, UT
- Destination
- 1L7 · Escalante, UT
- Airport
- N/A
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Handheld GPS, Satellite tracking device
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 38
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 190.3 total · 90 in this make and model · 114 as pilot in command · 112 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 99 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.08 inHg
- Observed at
- KPGA, 27 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KPGA 182153Z AUTO 26007KT 10SM CLR 37/07 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP106 T03670072=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 11, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.1 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.